On Monday, a Los Angeles jury returned a stunning $417 million dollar verdict against Johnson & Johnson in another case claiming that Johnson & Johnson baby powder led to ovarian cancer. Eva Echeverria had claimed that she used the baby powder on a daily basis from the 1950s until 2016. She was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2007. The verdict is the largest sum awarded to date in a series of talcum powder lawsuits against Johnson & Johnson.

Echeverria claimed that Johnson & Johnson failed to adequately warn consumers about the potential cancer risks associated with talc – one of the key ingredients in their baby powder. The jury awarded $68 million dollars in compensatory damages and $340 million in punitive damages. Mark Robinson, Echeverria’a attorney stated that the Johnson & Johnson had “…many warning bells over a 30 year period” about the potential link between talc and ovarian cancer, but failed to warn consumers.

In a recent post I discussed another talcum powder large verdict – $110 million – recently returned against Johnson & Johnson by a St. Louis jury in May. And in 2016, Missouri juries awarded over $190 million dollars in damages in three similar cases. Two New Jersey cases were tossed out by a judge who decided the plaintiffs had failed to provide sufficient credible evidence demonstrating the link between talc and ovarian cancer. Approximately 1,000 cases have been filed nationwide, claiming the regular use of baby powder led to ovarian cancer.

The recent verdicts have to cause some concern to Johnson & Johnson, especially with hundreds of cases still in the pipeline.

Ms. Echeverria is currently receiving cancer treatment and her prognosis is not favorable, according to Robinson. He noted that Echeverria didn’t want sympathy but instead wants to help other women throughout the United States who are battling ovarian cancer under similar circumstances.